William butterfield



(No Model.

- W. BUTTERFIELD.

HARVESTER REEL.

No, 366,301. Patented July 12, 1887;

ll I} 1 yuu|w mmmm 'ing and adjusting mechanism.

' number of notches, b.

NITED STATES PATENT FFICEO W'ILLIAM BUTTERFIELD, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO D. M. OSBORNE & COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

HARVES'TER-REEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,301, dated July 12, 1867.

Appliration filed March 2, 1887. Serial No. 229,425. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BUTTERFIELD, of Auburn, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Harvester-Reels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to that class of reels in which the rcelshaft is supported in bearings 011 a crank arm or arms extending from a rock-shaft, so that by turning said rockshaft the reel may be raised or lowered, and the aims of the invention are to provide a sin gle mechanism for effecting the adjustment of the rockshaft by means of a hand-lever, which shall remain at all times within convenient reach of the driver; and to this end it consists in the combination, with the lever and rockshaft, of certain intermediate parts, which will be hereinafter described.

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my reel support- Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view ofthe rack-plate through which the parts are held in position. Fig. 4 is an edge view of the said plate. Fig. 5 is a side view of the plate attached to the hand-lever and the sliding dogs thereon.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a rock-shaft mounted in stationary bearings B, and provided at one end with a crank-arm, A, on which are mounted, in the usual manner, the bearings for the reel-shaft 0. Under this arrangement the entire Weight of the reel is carried by a crank-arm, and the vertical adjustment of the reel secured by turning the rock-shaft in its bearings, thereby causing the crankarm to rise and fall. These parts are of ordinary construction, familiar to every person skilled in the art, and are not claimed as of the present invention.

In applying my improvement I fix rigidly upon the rock-shafta sector-plate,D, provided, at its periphery in one edge, with a series of notches, a, and in the opposite edge with aless Adjacent to this plate I pivot to a stationary plate, E, or other suitable support, a locking-dog, F, provided at its upper end with a tooth, c, which may engage in one or another of the notches a, so as to lock the plate D firmly in position, and thus hold the rock-shaft and reelin thcdifferent positions demanded. The upper end ofthis locking-arm F is provided with a curved slot, (1, for a purpose presently to be explained. I next provide a hand-lever, G, and bolt firmly to its lower end a supporting-plate, H, which is arranged to turn freely around the rock-shaft, except when locked in position. In this plate I mount a sliding dog, I, having at one end a stud, e, which enters the slot (1 of the locking-arm F. I also mount in the plate H a second sliding dog, K, arranged to engage the notches b of the plate D. The two dogs are urged downward by means of springs f, and are released at the will of the operator by operating-rods extending from them to the respective thumb- -levers g and h, mounted on the upper end of the hand-lever. The parts stand nearly in the position represented in Fig. 1, the arm F being in engagement with the plate D and serving to hold the reel rigidly in position, while at the same time the dog K, seated in one of the notches b of the plate D, prevents the handlever from falling.

When it is required to raise or lower the reel,the attendant actuates the thumb-latch g, which, through the intermediate parts, disengages the arm F from the plate D, thus releas ing the reel, which is now sustained through the plate D and dog I by the hand-lever. The operator, raising or lowering the handlever, turns the plate D and the rock-shaft, and thereby adjusts the reel to the height required, and, releasing thelatch g, the arm F re engages and secures the reel in its new position. It is obvious that if it be required to move the reel agreat distance upward or down ward it would be necessary to move the hand-lever through a long are, which would be inconvenient for the operator. It is to overcome the necessity for this great movement of the lever that Iemploy the dog" K. If it be required to move the reel a greater distance than can be conveniently a dififerent notch, 11. This being accomplished, and the lever locked in a new relation to the plate D, the arm F is unlocked and the reel adjusted, as before.

The essence of my invention resides in the provision of means by which the relation of the hand-lever to the plate D and the rock-shaft may be changed at will by the driver in his seat, thus enabling the attendant to keep the operative end of the hand-lever always in convenient position and permitting the crank-arm to be turned through an are much greater than that traversed by the lever.

\Vhile I prefer to retain the details of construction herein shown, it is manifest that they may be variously modified within the range of mechanical skill without departing from the limits of myinvention. For example, the sliding dogs I and K may be replaced by any other equivalent form of locking devices, of which there are many familiar to the skilled mechanic. The notches a and 6, instead of being formed in a single plate, as shown, and as preferred, by reason of the greater simplicity secured, may be formed in two separateplates secured to the-rock-shaft. The dog I, instead of entering a slot in the upper end of the arm F, may be adapted to encircle or embrace the' upper end of the arm,.

Having thus described my invention,whatI claim ising-arm, and devices for locking the lever to theplate in different positions, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a crank-shaft or reel-support turning on a horizontal axis, a hand-lever for adjusting the same to raise or lower the reel, means for locking the lever to the shaft in different positions, and means for holding the shaft during said adjustment of the lever.

3. The crank-shaft provided with bearings whereby-the crankshaft may be turned and fastened at will and the relation of the adj usting-lever to the shaft also changed at will.

4. The combination of the reel-supporting rock-shaft turning about a horizontal axis to raise and lower the reel, the hand-lever having its end mounted loosely on said shaft, the notched plate fastened immovabl y on th eshaft, and the springactuated dog carried by the lever and adapted to engage the plate, as described, whereby the lever may, at the will of theattendant and without the use of tools, be adjusted to and securely fixed in different positions in relation to the reel to maintain the lever at all times in convenient reach of the driver.

In testimony whereofI hereunto set my hand, this 23d day of December, 1886, in the presence of two attesti ng witnesses.

' WILLIAM BUTTERFIELD.

Witnesses:

WM. A. KIRBY, GEORGE VICKERS. 

